Umbilical Cord Tissue

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Umbilical Cord Tissue (MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS)

The Tissue that surrounds the umbilical vein and arteries, called Wharton’s Jelly, is an incredibly rich source of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), a different type of Stem Cell that has become the Future of Regenerative Medicine.

While HSCs can only specialize into Blood Cells, MSCs are capable of specialising into many different Cell types such as Heart Cells, Cartilage Cells, Neurons and many others. These Stem Cells can be found in different parts of the human body such as fat tissue and bone marrow. Wharton’s Jelly is also a rich source of MSCs which is easily collected at birth.

Current Use of MSCs: Combined with Haematopoietic Stem Cells they have been shown to reduce the severity of Graft vs. Host Disease, improve engraftment of transplants and achieve a better regeneration of bone marrow. Future Use of MSCs: Given their immense capability to differentiate into many different Cell types and to regenerate different tissues and organs, MSCs are the core of all investigations in Regenerative Medicine, aiming to regenerate tissues that can’t self-regenerate such as cartilage, bone or neurons.

Clinical Trials

This is a summary of Clinical Trials currently taking place with Umbilical Cord Stem Cells aiming to treat nonhaematologic diseases. Number in brackets indicates the number of Clinical Trials currently investigating that disease: